He said What!
by vcsaamaay
Summary: This is a a little Valdug fan-fiction leading off from "Because what are friends for?" Hope you like it!
1. Chapter 1

Skulduggery stepped out of his 1954 Bentley R-Type Continental and walked over to Bespoke Tailors, wrapping his scarf around the lower half of his face and dipping his hat down below his eyes. Ghastly Bespoke had made Skulduggery a new suit, as he was getting tired of the ten others he had. Ghastly was the best, most intricate tailor around, and a very good friend of Skulduggery's; but he still charged him full price for his suits. Skulduggery had spent the night before with Valkyrie at her house after her parents had gone out. He'd climbed in through her bedroom window and they'd spent the entire night laughing and joking. The other reason Skulduggery had decided to go see Ghastly, was because Valkyrie had told him some interesting information.

Skulduggery walked into the tailors, and removed his disguise. Ghastly looked up from his desk and smiled.

"Here for your suit I presume?" Ghastly said, standing up.

"How do you know I didn't just come for a friendly chat?" Skulduggery replied, and Ghastly raised an eyebrow. "But yes, I would also like my suit." Ghastly grinned and moved into the back room, taking Skulduggery's new suit and handing it to him. "Wonderful." he said, his voice like velvet. The two of them stood together, Ghastly swayed slightly with his hands in his pockets. To say they had been best friends for over 400 years, they still found themselves in awkward situations that neither one of them could get out of.

"I heard you had yourself a little date last night." Skulduggery began. "Who was the lucky woman?"

Ghastly glowered. "Valkyrie." He muttered.

"What?" Skulduggery replied, sounding a little alarmed. Ghastly's eyes widened. Skulduggery, if he had eyes, stared at Ghastly. Skulduggery knew himself and Valkyrie were nothing more than close friends, but to have possibly lost all of that to Ghastly had scared him. Ghastly was Skulduggery's best friend, but he hated the thought of Valkyrie being in the arms of him, instead of his own.

"Good God, no." Ghastly exclaimed. "I meant Valkyrie's obviously told you." Skulduggery's shoulders lowered as relief flowed through him.

"Ah yes," he said. "That she did."

"You're not here to talk to me about it, are you? Because, you know, that probably wouldn't be such an exciting conversation, for you."

"Oh, of course not. That's a conversation I think I'd gladly miss, it'd be quite awkward." The two of them stood in silence for a moment. "So how was she?"

"Skulduggery!" Ghastly said, his head snapping towards him. Skulduggery raised his gloved hands and Ghastly calmed down. "Pretty good." Ghastly mumbled. Skulduggery tilted his head; if he had lips, or a face, he would be grinning.

"Going to marry her?" Skulduggery asked.

"I think it's a bit too early to be asking her."

"You've thought about it for the past 6 years, I don't really think it's _too early_." Skulduggery said and Ghastly glowered.

"I don't know how she feels." he murmured.

"You've done the dirt _and _she stayed in _your _shirt and _your _home all day, according to Val, and you don't know how she feels? I think it's pretty clear to me." Ghastly was silent for a moment.

"Yeah, you've got a point."

"I always do." Skulduggery said, picking up his suit. "Right well, I'll leave, before this conversation gets any more awkward. Thanks for the suit." Skulduggery put his disguise back on and walked out the shop.

"Skulduggery? Thanks." Ghastly called after him and Skulduggery nodded. He walked back to the car, chucking the suit into the boot. He stopped for a moment to register the conversation he'd just had with Ghastly, and the thoughts he had about Valkyrie during it. He got into the car and just sat there for a while. He and Valkyrie had been partners for six years, and the whole time she'd been his best friend, his partner, his little girl, but now he was getting worried that he might _lose _her to someone else? He shook his head. Since when did he care for who she was with, or who she dated, or who she liked. He didn't. All Skulduggery wanted was for her to be safe. Why did he now care for who she may end up with? Skulduggery started the car and sped off, soon arriving back at Valkyrie's. Her car was in the drive but her parents car wasn't, so he parked the Bentley, and walked around to the back of her house. He splayed his hands and pushed at the air, landing softly in Valkyrie's room. She was on her bed sleeping, curled up in a ball, her dark hair covering her face. He tilted his head and walked over to her. Skulduggery gently scraped her hair back behind her ear and pulled a blanket out from her wardrobe, putting it over Valkyrie. He removed his disguise and sat cross legged on her desk chair, just sat watching her sleep. If he had lungs and his lungs had a breath, he would've sighed. But instead, all he could do was drop his shoulders and tilt his head. He found himself, for the first time, confused. Skulduggery couldn't work out what he was feeling and he hated it. Was he undeniably close to being in love again? Was it the fact that Ghastly had finally got Tanith after all these years and he had no one? Skulduggery sat back. He didn't have no one, he had Valkyrie. But for how long? How long until someone else came along and took her away from him? How long until she decided she'd had enough of being around him, and left without a trace?

Skulduggery ran his thoughts rapidly through his empty skull, his memories and his emotions playing over one another. He thought of his darling wife and child, and how much he'd loved them-

He looked up. That was it. Skulduggery realised right there, right then, exactly what it was that was torturing him. That was closing him in. He looked at Valkyrie who was lying asleep on her bed. He knew.

Skulduggery Pleasant had fallen in love with Valkyrie Cain.


	2. Chapter 2

Skulduggery POV

Skulduggery watched her sleep. It wasn't the first time he'd done it, or the last. He'd do it usually when he couldn't meditate. He'd just climb into her bedroom and watch her. He found that she always looked peaceful and at ease, so, naturally, it helped him to relax. Sometimes he'd just do it because he wanted to. He'd often hear her mumble in her sleep, mostly about him, or Fletcher, or sometimes Caelan. He'd always leave before she woke up, and never told her he'd been there. He didn't want her thinking less of him.

Skulduggery had been watching her for hours and he looked up as he heard her groan. He stayed sat on the desk chair, cross legged. She opened her eyes and rubbed them, and he watched her frown as she looked at the blanket that was over her. She sat up and pushed the blanket away from her. She turned her head slowly and lurched backwards, as she saw Skulduggery sat at her desk across the room.

"You absolute-" Valkyrie began.

"Wonderful person?" Skulduggery answered. Valkyrie scowled at him.

"No. You're an annoyance." she replied gruffly, moving from her bed. "Why're you here anyway?"

"I can always leave-" Skulduggery said, getting up from the chair.

"No," Valkyrie said, turning around quickly to make sure he wasn't leaving. If he had lips, he would be grinning. "I was just wondering. That's all"

"I'm just here because, well, we need to-"

"Tell me I was right about Ghastly and Tanith?" Valkyrie asked, pulling on a cardigan and turning to face him.

"No, well yes, you were right, but that's not why I'm here. I need to.. ask you something."

"Okay. Shoot." Valkyrie said, sitting back on her bed. Skulduggery stayed silent for a moment, and Valkyrie looked at him. "Is this about China?"

Skulduggery's head shot up. "What?"

"Well," she said slowly "you just seem a lot more, _affectionate, _towards her nowadays." Skulduggery faltered.

"I-I do?" he replied.

"Yeah! I mean, don't get me wrong, it's pretty cute and everything but-"

"But?" Skulduggery pressed on, sitting up. Valkyrie looked at him, his empty eye sockets looking back at her. She lowered her gaze. Skulduggery was eager to hear her response.

"But," she said again "She killed your family." Skulduggery sank in the chair and Valkyrie looked at him with sad eyes. "I'm sorry I mentioned it. I know you don't like it when I talk about it but-"

"No, no. It's not that." he said and Valkyrie frowned.

"Then what is it?" Skulduggery looked at her and tapped the symbols on his neck. His facade rose up over his skull and Valkyrie shook her head at the man with the dark hair and deep brown eyes. "You know I don't like it when you talk to me with that on." Skulduggery nodded and tapped the symbols again, and the facade retracted. He stared at her with his hollow eyes.

"I think I've known for quite a while now, but never really thought into it. I always thought it was stupid and it'd never happen, but it was always playing in the back of my mind. And being here, today, I've just realised what it was the whole time." Skulduggery paced back and forth whilst Valkyrie was frowning. "I didn't know when or how to tell you, or even mention it to you, because I was just scared. And it scared me the most to think that you wouldn't ever feel the same way I do. I was afraid I'd lose you to someone else, and I could never live with that. Whenever I saw you with Fletcher I just died a little bit more. I knew you would both end up together at some point which was why I tried to get rid of him, but you were persistent that he stayed, and I just-"

"Skulduggery-" Valkyrie began.

"Just, let me finish. You have grown into the woman I always knew you would. You're my best friend, my partner, my little girl, and the thought of losing you to someone kills me. So I just wanted to let you know that I-"

Valkyrie POV

Valkyrie jumped from her bed and walked up to Skulduggery. This four hundred year old skeleton, who'd never shown much affection to anyone, had just shown her the biggest amount of affection she'd ever thought she would hear from him. His empty eye sockets looked down at her and her glossy, dark eyes filled with tears. Valkyrie didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to feel. Had her best friend just told her he loved her? This man who was known to have showed no emotion to anyone after his wife and child were brutally murdered. Neither of them moved. Valkyrie tilted her head so she could see the symbols carved into Skulduggery's neck. She tapped them and the facade of the dark haired man with the deep brown eyes rose up over his skull. She liked looking into his human eyes, but she also liked looking into the eyes of his skull, into oblivion.

"I haven't done this, in over four hundred years." Skulduggery said softly. Valkyrie's breathing became rapid and heavy as Skulduggery leaned into her. Her lips slowly parted as his new, fresh lips touched hers. She felt as if she was falling, a never ending drop. She moved into him, her shaky hands finding his face. It felt strange to her as she touched his dewy skin. It became apparent that neither of them were intending to pull away as Skulduggery wrapped his arms around her back, moving in with her. Valkyrie stumbled backwards, taking Skulduggery with her, but neither of them let go. Valkyrie fell onto her bed and Skulduggery fell with her. She couldn't tell if she was enjoying this moment she'd always longed for, or found it insanely awkward. She still didn't let go of him, even with those thoughts flooding through her mind. They rolled over and Valkyrie was sat on him, as Skulduggery sat up. Valkyrie kept her hands on his face as she pulled back, just staring into Skulduggery's eyes. Neither of them spoke.

"Well," he said finally. "That went more than I expected."

"It usually does." Valkyrie replied softly, and he leaned in and kissed her again.


End file.
